Suing Over Racial Profiling

The ACLU is at it again, this time suing over racial profiling. That is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points" memo.

Four U.S. citizens and one permanent resident have filed lawsuits against four different airlines, claiming their rights were violated when they were not allowed to board. The men say they were denied passage because they looked Middle Eastern, and United, American, Continental, and Northwest must pay.

The ACLU and the American Arab Discrimination Committee are funding the lawsuits, and if that's true that these guys were not security risks, expect a quick settlement by the airlines.

The subject of racial profiling is emotional, of course, but a bogus issue. Yes, some incompetent cops and security people harass certain groups, and that's dead wrong.

But most of the profiling is situational, as it should be. If I'm a beat cop and see four guys hanging around a corner at 2:00 a.m. shaking hands with a number of passers-by, I'm going to pat those men down looking for drugs and guns. If I'm an airline security person and some Semitic-looking man buys a one-way air ticket with cash, I'm going to check that man, run a computer search on him. Is that wrong?

Congressman Mark Foley of Florida says that the political correctness that swept the nation under the Clintons has damaged law enforcement, and that's true to some extent. But not entirely true.

Consider this. The FBI has done a great job infiltrating subversive militia groups, the kind of outfits Timothy McVeigh liked. That's because the FBI has a lot of white guys who can blend in with these pinheads. And the FBI profiles these possible terrorists, they watch them at survivalist gatherings and neo-Nazi rallies.

But the ACLU never has a problem with that.

So what we have here is an objection to a select kind of racial profiling, that of minorities. And I say, fine, no American deserves to be hassled because of his skin color. But situational profiling is a vital law enforcement tool, and it must be used to protect us.

And that's the memo.

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Time for "The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day."

This is a big week for your humble correspondent. On Friday, I'll be heading down to Guantanamo Bay for a firsthand look at the situation with the terrorists. I'm bringing a crack Factor crew with me. And we will bring back a no-spin report.

Also on Friday, the third O'Reilly Factor Special will be shown on the FOX Broadcasting Network at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific time. It's called O'Reilly vs. Hollywood and examines celebrity activism, which some think is ridiculous, but I think is fascinating. That's 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Friday on the Fox Network, home of The Simpsons, not the news channel. I think you'll like the special.